CBEU
08:30
Conrad Orlov
He parked the car into an empty slot near the entrance to the bank and switched off the ignition. He fit a wig, that he had taken from the bag lying on the set on his right, and fit it on his head. He adjusted it so that it looked just right. Perfect! Annoying, but perfect.
He was here posing as an entrepreneur who has an appointment to learn how to differentiate between genuine and fake Euro notes. On the seat behind him, Alexzei was zipping his jacket and pulling the hood of his sleeveless over his head and face. Only his eyes remained uncovered.
He nodded to Alexzei as he closed the door and locked the car.
Alexzei
He took back his arm which had held the rear door open, but extremely close to the car so that the CCTV would register it as closed. He pressed the button on his bluetooth and asked for the signal to leave.
"Now."
He opened the door and exited the car as soon as the closed-circuit television had been hacked to display a loop. He headed his way into a more remote section of the parking of the bank with his backpack slinging on his shoulders. He had to find the correct path from here, and he had his guide.
09:00
Conrad Orlov
He was at the reception and nobody had even raised a glance of suspicion till now. The plan's going well. The receptionist spoke to him as another customer left, "How can I help you, sir?"
"I am an international businessman based in Australia. I would like to learn about the Euro, both, the original and the fake. I cannot afford to face fraud when dealing in international markets. Will there be someone to attend to my needs?" he lied with a smile.
No way are we getting caught, he thought as the receptionist made a few calls.
A minute later the receptionist raised her head and called him out. "Sir, we have scheduled your meeting. Five minutes from now. Fifth floor, cabin eight with Mr. Jim Maxwell."
"Thank you," Orlov said.
Alexzei
He was crouching down, halving his height to move forward from the top of the ventilation pipes. This area was near the back corner of the bank and a few people were occasionally moving through. Especially the cleaning staff. The washrooms were placed near this area and thus Alexzei had to use the large pipes as bridges to reach the next platform.
He put his finger on the microphone asking for further directions as he reached the end of the lane.
"Right, and up the ladder," a voice spoke to him. Alexzei followed the directions and climbed up ten metal rungs bolted one above the other to form a ladder. He reached a short passage of about four meters, at the end of which was a metal grill screwed to a metal plate in the wall.
Alexzei kneeled in front of the grill and opened his backpack to bring out an electric drill. He fit the drill screw to the bolts that attached the grill and pressed the switch. A few seconds later, he picked up the grill and put it on the floor behind him. The panel revealed was a meter long and faced the lift shaft on the other end. As he watched, the lift moved down the shaft to the ground floor. This was his moment. He picked up his backpack and wriggled through the passage onto the top of the lift. Take me just where I'm supposed to be.
YOU ARE READING
The Shadows of Peace - Battle Cries
Mystery / ThrillerFive years left to the third millennium. A span easily covered. But the world isn't as it was before. It has quarreled, it has bled and it has suffered. But more importantly, it has changed. Forgotten and forgiven. Earth has been the prey of damag...
